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John_234	New Article - Ballistic body Armor Jan 2 2010, 1:45 AM EST \| Post edited: Jan 2 2010, 1:45 AM EST I spent the last few hours working on this article. Added a summary of some types of body armor. I intend to go into detail on the unconventional pieces like stab-proof vests and dragon skin, in addition to usage, fitting, and issues with improvised armor. Thoughts thus far? Post reply Do you find this valuable? Keyword tags: armor bullet resistant bulletproof ceramic defense flak handgun jacket kevlar rifle SAPI vest
Conmiro	1. RE: New Article - Ballistic body Armor Jan 2 2010, 1:47 AM EST \| Post edited: Jan 2 2010, 1:47 AM EST "I spent the last few hours working on this article. Added a summary of some types of body armor. I intend to go into detail on the unconventional pieces like stab-proof vests and dragon skin, in addition to usage, fitting, and issues with improvised armor. Thoughts thus far?" I'd be very interested in the issues with improvised armor... write it if you have the time please. Post reply Do you find this valuable?
John_234	2. RE: New Article - Ballistic body Armor Jan 2 2010, 3:54 PM EST \| Post edited: Jan 2 2010, 3:54 PM EST Added a portion on Dragonskin,and in the process of expanding the "bullet-resistant vest" paragraphs. Post reply Do you find this valuable?
FracturedCell	3. RE: New Article - Ballistic body Armor Jan 2 2010, 8:06 PM EST \| Post edited: Jan 2 2010, 8:06 PM EST "I'd be very interested in the issues with improvised armor... " Me too... perhaps some sort of armour on the same principle of stormtrooper (star wars) armour - not friction-y enough to get a grip, yet lightweight... Post reply Do you find this valuable?
DirgeNYS	4. RE: New Article - Ballistic body Armor Jan 3 2010, 12:24 AM EST Good luck getting your hands on authentic dragonskin. As for the more conventional ballistic armor, like SAPI plates, it wouldn't hurt to make use of them. Just don't slap them all over your body like some kind of space-age kevlar knight. Cover the vitals and get a PASGT or ACH helmet for your head. That should be it as far as ballistic protection goes. Post reply Do you find this valuable?
ZombieNewb	5. RE: New Article - Ballistic body Armor Jan 3 2010, 2:43 AM EST \| Post edited: Jan 3 2010, 2:43 AM EST It would be nice if you could figure out how to make improvised kevlar. It would help because the average person has less of a chance finding full Kevlar or dragonskin in an apocolyptic wasteland. Post reply Do you find this valuable?
John_234	6. RE: New Article - Ballistic body Armor Feb 12 2010, 2:14 AM EST "It would be nice if you could figure out how to make improvised kevlar. It would help because the average person has less of a chance finding full Kevlar or dragonskin in an apocolyptic wasteland." Sorry, I did not see your comment until later. I do intend on doing so, but kevlar itself isn't the easiest material to manufacture. Post reply Do you find this valuable?
hardwarehank	7. RE: New Article - Ballistic body Armor Feb 12 2010, 2:09 PM EST a fairly decent body armor that no one thinks of is animal hide. i tested deer hide that had been sewn skin to skin leaving the hair on the outside and i stoped buckshot at 50 ft. and i dont think a zombie could bite through it very easily. Post reply Do you find this valuable?
possumblaster	8. RE: New Article - Ballistic body Armor Feb 13 2010, 10:34 AM EST \| Post edited: Feb 13 2010, 10:35 AM EST "a fairly decent body armor that no one thinks of is animal hide. i tested deer hide that had been sewn skin to skin leaving the hair on the outside and i stoped buckshot at 50 ft. and i dont think a zombie could bite through it very easily." That's actually kind of a cool idea. What kind of protection does it have against trauma from the impact though? Just curious. At the least it could be an improvised frag vest. And the article is a very interesting read John, thanks. Post reply Do you find this valuable?
John_234	9. RE: New Article - Ballistic body Armor Feb 13 2010, 1:09 PM EST "That's actually kind of a cool idea. What kind of protection does it have against trauma from the impact though? Just curious. At the least it could be an improvised frag vest. And the article is a very interesting read John, thanks." Oh, thanks. Good to hear a professional's input! Leather or other animal skins may be a good spall layer for improvised armor, beneath the material that actually deflects the bullets. Post reply Do you find this valuable?
Themiddleodnowhere	10. RE: New Article - Ballistic body Armor Feb 17 2010, 4:26 PM EST "Oh, thanks. Good to hear a professional's input! Leather or other animal skins may be a good spall layer for improvised armor, beneath the material that actually deflects the bullets." PVC!!! haha, you can make a starwars armor out of PVC, 1/4 inch is wicked strong, like up arounf 10000PSi breaking pressure, something like that Post reply Do you find this valuable?
CallsignPyro	11. RE: New Article - Ballistic body Armor Feb 17 2010, 9:04 PM EST pvc & water barrel plastic work pretty good, leather (depending on how thick it is & the climate of your area) is an excellent bite & stab proof armor as well as keeping you warm, i found a site that gave me the idea of full leather body armor sort of like a suit of armor about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick if tested it & it can take a knife no problem as well as bites, one of my friends has a custom set of armor had of plastic that he got molded to fit him perfectly & still allow full range of motion with total coverage Post reply Do you find this valuable?
YourMom23	12. RE: New Article - Ballistic body Armor Feb 18 2010, 11:09 PM EST You might want to consider something like this for a future update -- http://www.vipbodyarmor.com/custom_armor.php I tried a 3/4ths length trench coat at level IIa protection with reinforcement against stabbing, and it was surprisingly mobile -- therre was weight but it distributed well, and it wasn't much more bulky than a heavy leather trenchcoat. It protects the groin area, torso, part of the neck, and all of the arms. The one I wore cost about $2400 US dollars (this was in the UK), but the American made custom models alone cost around a grand for level III protection and appear and wear as clothes. Extremely lightly armored regular clothing might be a lot more useful than a heavier vest -- if bites are your main concern, not bullets, you don't need nearly as much armoring (try biting through a vietnam-era flak jacket, I don't think it's possible even for most strong dogs, though you'd feel the pressure, yet it's so weak almost any bullet could penetrate it). Post reply Do you find this valuable?
John_234	13. RE: New Article - Ballistic body Armor Feb 18 2010, 11:37 PM EST I generally think weapons, firearm or otherwise, and crashes are the biggest reasons to wear body armor. I'd imagine it a feat of anatomy Strangely enough, the site doesn't offer anything lower than II for sale... A IIA coat would only stop the weakest of rounds, so I can understand why. Also, keep in mind that the garment only protects the sides of the torso with four panels, ultimately similar protection to a standard concealable vest, with less protection against the blunt impact. As far as I can see, the primary advantages are more space on the belt and protection that is quicker to pull on. Post reply Do you find this valuable?
YourMom23	14. RE: New Article - Ballistic body Armor Feb 18 2010, 11:52 PM EST You're right, the model in the link isn't nearly as effective as the more expensive British model, though it may be more mobile. The british model is primarily a stab defense jacket with heavier bullet resisting options, and there are no weak spots against stabbing because the weave is even, which makes it look kind of wooden when you're walking but isn't as dense as a fully functional kevlar vest. If I could find the link to that British armored coat, you would see its significant advantages. It has a weave similar to snakebite resistant boots and would thus even have some protection against hypodermic needles and vampires. Still, $2000 for something that's still hot to wear and still will slightly reduce mobility might not be worth the trade off especially compared to much simpler zytel or pvc ideas. Post reply Do you find this valuable?
John_234	15. RE: New Article - Ballistic body Armor Feb 19 2010, 12:09 AM EST But the garment you describe has similar problems, mainly the limited ballistic coverage for the overall bulk. I fear what kind of mobility that weave would have... Post reply Do you find this valuable?
YourMom23	16. RE: New Article - Ballistic body Armor Feb 19 2010, 12:47 AM EST Well like I said because of the weight distribution it really doesn't immobilize you, but weight is still weight. You can rotate your torso, and move your arms with no more limitation than a heavy leather trenchcoat. It would probably take about 3 months for a healthy person to develop the cardiovascular ability to maintain walking and jogging endurance (similar to the weight vests used by athletes), and the protection is bitchin against bites. Ah...still, I'd rather have a toughened leather jacket and some zytel greaves, the trenchcoat is much more for a knife fight scenario. But I think it's still worth reporting as an option for folks out there. Vests are pretty much useless against bites because nothing really bites the torso...at least not until you're fully being eaten. Post reply Do you find this valuable?
CallsignPyro	17. RE: New Article - Ballistic body Armor Feb 20 2010, 12:03 PM EST "Well like I said because of the weight distribution it really doesn't immobilize you, but weight is still weight. You can rotate your torso, and move your arms with no more limitation than a heavy leather trenchcoat. It would probably take about 3 months for a healthy person to develop the cardiovascular ability to maintain walking and jogging endurance (similar to the weight vests used by athletes), and the protection is bitchin against bites. Ah...still, I'd rather have a toughened leather jacket and some zytel greaves, the trenchcoat is much more for a knife fight scenario. But I think it's still worth reporting as an option for folks out there. Vests are pretty much useless against bites because nothing really bites the torso...at least not until you're fully being eaten." biker leather jackets work well against stabs &, depending on which one you get, can be made bullet resistant Post reply Do you find this valuable?
John_234	18. RE: New Article - Ballistic body Armor Feb 20 2010, 1:34 PM EST Well, of course, but in terms of bites, that sort of trench coat has no practical edge over your basic leather jacket. A leather jacket with a concealable vest would probably attract less attention than a trench coat though, no? : ) Post reply Do you find this valuable?
XanderRich	19. RE: New Article - Ballistic body Armor Feb 20 2010, 2:07 PM EST "I'd be very interested in the issues with improvised armor... write it if you have the time please." yea, wat would ppls use for improvised armor anyways? Post reply Do you find this valuable?

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